Guest Author - Rain Battle

Phantom of the Opera (2005)
The familiar story: a horribly disfigured musical genius haunts actors in the French Opera House. The ghost shares his musical gift with a young woman, Christine, who quickly becomes his protege`. While tutoring her, The Phantom falls in love with her, but Christine is torn between The Phantom... and another man. Enraged, the spirit decides to steal Christine and force her to be his - forever.

There was excitement and wariness with the announcement that Phantom would be transitioning to film, but fans needn't have worried - the movie did not disappoint completely. The lead roles went to Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. Considering that Butler was known for his roles in the Tomb Raider movies and one of Rossum's last films was The Day After Tomorrow, the two seemed surprising choices. However, Rossum had extensive previous voice training and a history of diverse roles in television and film. Butler was not a professional singer and his novice was at times glaringly apparent. A few changes including expensive, elaborate sets, and a much younger Phantom make a viewer long for the original. Since it's often unfair to compare film and theatre, we'll suffice it to say that Phantom is as haunting on the big screen as it is on stage.

Extra Extra! Tidbits About the Movies...
*In Reality - Antonio Banderas was scheduled to play the Phantom at one point. He even began intensive voice training for the part.

*Songworthy - "Learn To Be Lonely" - Minnie Driver, The Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack